I'm writing about the Santa Cruz Hightower for three reasons:
First, it's one of our top-end bikes in this year's Rim Tours rental fleet.
Second, Bike Magazine just posted a nice review of it.
Third, I have a major case of Hightower envy: the Hightower replaces the widely lauded Tallboy LTc, which was one of the first long-travel 29ers on the market, and which is the bike I ride. As soon as I'm ready to upgrade, I'm getting a Hightower! (The problem is, I love my TBLTC!)
To quote the Bike Mag review: "We loved how the Hightower made easy work of rough, high-speed descents." I think it's one of the reasons The Hightower is such a great fit for our fleet here at Rim Tours.
Many of our multi-day tours feature numerous long stretches of fast and rough downhill, such as The 5-day and 6-day Maze tours, with the seemingly never-ending thrill ride down The Flint Trail that connects straight into the amazing Golden Staircase.
It just goes for miles and miles with you racing as fast as you dare let her go. A bike like The Hightower gives you the stability to stay off the brakes, even when the road gets crazy rough and you are really flying.
Another big plus: The Hightower can go both ways. Whether you prefer the rollability of a 29er, or the greater manauverability of the boosted 27.5, you can choose, or even switch back and forth.
The Hightower’s full-carbon frame is built around a refined Virtual Pivot Point suspension design, features Boost front-and rear-hub spacing and is compatible with both 29-inch and 27.5+ wheels and tires. A geometry flip chip in the link that drives the shock allows the frame to accept both wheel sizes, while keeping geometry consistent.
